Georgetown : The use of the marijuana for medicinal purposes is increasingly being accepted by several countries internationally and Caricom examined this issue during its recently concluded 35th Heads of Governments meeting, in Antigua and Barbuda.
The issue is one that will be examined by government, according to President Donald Ramotar but much more information is needed before a firm decision is made.
“The emphasis seems to be on positive nature of medical marijuana but there also needs to be more information on the negatives too, and then how do we control it, and we have to look at the general health of the population”.
The move by the regional group to examine its usage, was however, welcomed by President Ramotar, who said it will help the decision makers to take positions on the issue
Caricom has created a commission to study whether the region's roughly 15 million people should be allowed to use medical marijuana and how courts should handle possession of small amounts of the drug. This special commission is expected to submit its reports at the next Heads of Government summit, scheduled for February 2016. A recent preliminary report from Caricom found that decriminalising medical marijuana could help boost the region's economy.
Activists in Jamaica, St. Lucia and other Caribbean territories have been pushing to legalise marijuana use and Jamaica's government recently announced its plans to partially decriminalise small amounts of cannabis sativa, and to allow possession for religious, scientific and medical purposes. Uruguay recently became the first country to approve nationwide pot legalisation, whilst in the United States several states have followed suit.
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